Pope’s condition serious but he is recovering, say papal sources
Elise Ann Allen/Crux• February 19, 2025
Pope Francis’s condition remains serious after his diagnosis of bilateral pneumonia but he is not in danger and is making progress toward recovery, according to the latest information available.
Sources close to the Pope have confirmed to Crux that during his stay in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital the pontiff has received the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, which they said is normal under the circumstances and does not imply that he is close to death.
One source said that media reports indicating the Pope is nearing death are exaggerated, and that while he is expected to have a lengthy hospital stay, he is slowly improving.
Other individuals close to the Pope have made similar observations to other reporters, indicating that the Pope, whose condition has remained stable throughout his hospital stay, is responding to treatment.
Italian Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro, a close papal aide who travels with Pope Francis on all of his foreign trips and who serves as undersecretary for the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education, also made similar statements to Italian television network TV2000, the official network of the Italian bishops.
According to Spadaro, the Pope “is stable, they found the problem, the problem of a multi-bacteria infection and therefore they are administering a therapy which seems to be effective”.
“So, the Pope is not worsening, as I often see being said in these hours, he does not have a fever,” the Jesuit priest said, referring to recent reports stating that the Pope is dying, or, as put in some cases, that he has already died.
“The Pope is closed in a hospital room, and I think that for him it is terrible, but it’s truly necessary and we wish him a quick recovery,” Spadaro said.
He also noted that “yesterday he called the parish in Gaza” – every night that the Pope has been in the hospital, he has either called Holy Family parish or sent a text message to its pastor, Father Gabriele Romanelli.
The Pope was admitted to hospital on 14 February for treatment of what was initially diagnosed as ongoing bronchitis that had left him winded and made it difficult for him to read his own prepared speeches.
At the start of the week, 17 February, he was diagnosed with a polymicrobial respiratory infection, and, following a chest-scan on the afternoon of Tuesday, 18 February, he was diagnosed with the “onset” of pneumonia, with indications that the condition is in early stages.
The Vatican in a statement on Tuesday night described his condition as continuing to be “complex”, saying he has been receiving cortisone and antibiotic treatment for his infection, and that his antibiotic treatment has been further adjusted to target the pneumonia.
Francis’s appointments have been cancelled for the rest of the week and this weekend, including his Wednesday general audience and his Jubilee general audience on Saturday. He has also tasked Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, with celebrating Mass for the Jubilee of Deacons in his place on Sunday, 23 February.
Italian news agency ANSA reports that Korean Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, prefect of the Dicastery for Clergy, who is in charge of organising the Jubilee for Deacons, was seen at Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday, presumably to discuss speeches and texts for the event.
Pope Francis has continued to carry out some of his papal responsibilities while in hospital: on Tuesday he removed from office Canadian Bishop Jean-Pierre Blais of Baie-Comeau, who has been accused of abuse, appointing the local provincial of the Franciscans, Father Pierre Charland, as the new leader of the diocese.
On 15 February, the day after his admission to the hospital, the Pope announced the appointment – as of March 1 – of Italian Sister Raffaella Petrini as Secretary General of the Governorate of the Vatican City State, making her the top-ranking woman in the Vatican who is in charge of the city state’s administration.
A Vatican statement on Wednesday, 19 February, said Pope Francis “had a calm night, woke up, and had breakfast”.
Further information about his medical condition is expected later on Wednesday afternoon.
Pope Francis has a particularly heavy workload this year given his regular duties, including his Lent and Easter events, alongside his additional tasks and events surrounding the Jubilee of Hope, which he inaugurated 24 December 2024, and which will close on 6 January 2026.
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Photo: People stand and pray in front of a statue of Pope John Paul II outside Gemelli Hospital where Pope Francis is hospitalised for tests and treatment in Rome, Italy, 19 February 2025. (Photo by TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images.)